Illimitable
by WCSJMCTR
Summary: Harry Potter wished for a way to prevent Voldemort from ever coming into power. If given the chance, will he actually be able to do so? Harry gets sent to 1944 to try to do exactly that, but little does he know that he might actually be a factor in why Tom Riddle chose his path.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with the Harry Potter universe._

Chapter 1

To Harry Potter, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry still smelled like death. For months they found bodies buried beneath the rubble of the school. For months they found unidentifiable chunks. For months Harry Potter pulled his enemies, strangers, and friends out from under the stone walls.

It was ridiculous to be smelling death at this point, though. Today marked exactly one month since the last body, or piece of a body, was found. And today marked exactly one month since Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was officially rebuilt.

Harry was nervous. Another ridiculous feeling for the man who defeated the greatest dark wizard of the time.

Headmistress Minerva McGonagall wordlessly held out a folded cloth to him. Harry unwrapped it. He smiled at the contents and popped one of the biscuits into his mouth.

"You'll be fine," she said. Then, she walked past him through the grand double doors and up to the podium.

Harry followed.

The Headmistress spoke, "Welcome all. Today should hold special significance for all of you. For some, it is your first time stepping foot in this school. For others, it is your first time stepping foot in this school with no dark wizards on the loose. And for the older students, it is your first time stepping foot in this school without many of your fellow classmates.

It is for this reason that I have invited Harry Potter to come speak to you. I hope that you all listen to him with fervor."

Harry stepped up to the podium and said:

"I have to tell you, I've lost a lot of family, friends, classmates. The feeling, the 'it should've been me feeling', never goes away. I know many of you have that feeling. I can see it in your faces. This place was my first home. This school was the happiest place on earth for me. Now, it's different. Now, its where my friends died. Its where my family died. But it's also where Voldemort died.

The man had been hunting me for years, hurting everyone I loved and countless other people. Hogwarts is where I began and where I ended. He's gone. So what now?

We move on. We remember the people we lost and we make sure that we never create a monster again. We teach forgiveness. We teach acceptance. Gryffindors are not arrogant. Slytherins are not evil. Ravenclaws are not judgmental. Hufflepuffs are not lame. It is people who are these things. Your house is not your identity.

The one thing I want you to focus on this year is being a kid. Have fun. Fall in love. Make friends and make memories. If you can do that, this year will be a success."

The students applauded. The feast started and ended. McGonagall gave her beginning of the year remarks ("the Forbidden Forest is strictly off limits"). And finally, Harry was left to wander the new ancient castle.

The castle looked different. It was close enough to the original but many of the paintings and statues were gone because of their destruction during the battle.

As he walked, he tried to think of anything other than the smell that followed him. Ginny was his favorite distraction.

He thought of last night, her head on his chest and her hair in his face. She suddenly sat up and looked at him, "So?"

"So what?" he replied.

"So are you gonna be an auror?" she asked.

"I dunno," he said.

"You should," she said.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why not?" she replied. He shrugged. She laid down again.

It wasn't until she had already fallen asleep that he thought about his answer.

Did he really want to chase after dark lords his whole life? Hadn't he done that enough for one lifetime? But on the other hand, wasn't that what he knew how to do? Wasn't it what he was good at?

Did he even need a job? He had enough money to live comfortably. But wouldn't he be bored without something to occupy him?

He needed more time. More time to cope. More time to relax and live. More time for everything.

Harry's reflections ended when he realized where he was. They never had quite figured out how to fix the Room of Requirement.

Harry knew it was pointless to try, but he did it anyway. He paced, thinking three times: _I need a bathroom._ Nothing happened. _I need a quiet place to think._ Nothing happened. _I need you to fix yourself._ He thought he heard a noise. It was just a ghost, he told himself. _I need my friends to be alive._ Nothing happened. _I need Sirius Black._ Nothing. _I need peace of mind._ Another noise. Another ghost. _I need a time travelling machine to go back in time and make sure this never happens._ Nothing. _I need Voldemort to not have been evil._ Even more nothing. _I need a way to prevent countless deaths and sadness by the hands of Tom Riddle._ Another noise. But this wasn't a ghost.

Harry stopped pacing.

A door had appeared.

He stared, his heart started beating faster and faster. He approached.

The door was familiar. He couldn't figure out where he'd seen it before.

Somehow Harry knew that if he entered he wouldn't be coming back soon. Somehow he didn't care.

Harry opened the door. He stepped into the room. The smell of death did not follow.

 **A/N: I'll try not to do too many of these because not every chapter requires commentary. This chapter is a bit shorter than what I'm hoping the rest will be.**

 **First things first: This is not a romance. Harry will not be falling in love with anyone because he's already in love with Ginny.**

 **I'm hoping to put out about 2 chapters a week so that I will be DONE by the time school starts up again. I don't expect this to be too long of a story either.**

 **This is my first fanfiction by myself! My best friend and I are writing another one, Straight Outta 1943, but we haven't updated in a while because it's hard to coordinate our busy work schedules :/**

 **ANYWAY I hope you guys enjoy this! Please read, review, favorite, recommend! If you have any questions, either review or send me a pm and I'll answer the best I can! Thanks :)**


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with the Harry Potter universe._

Chapter 2

Harry stepped into a familiar room with familiar portraits and two familiar faces.

One face Harry only recognized from a flashback he'd witnessed during his second year. The other was all too comforting. The first man sat straight behind his desk. He had a short yet full white beard and dark eyes. The second man had a long auburn beard that glimmered with silver and was tucked into the man's belt. It was his gaze that was the most familiar to Harry.

"Professor Dumbledore?" he asked before considering the implications of doing so.

"Yes, that would be me. And who are you?" asked his former headmaster.

Harry blinked a couple times. "Uh, Harry," he said.

Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes narrowed. He asked, "And how do you know me, Harry?"

Harry thought for a second. Then he said, "Who doesn't know you?"

Dippet entered the conversation, "I'm sorry, young man. You may know us, but I do not recognize you. How did you get past the gargoyle?"

"I dunno," said Harry.

"You don't know," repeated Dippet.

"No," said Harry.

"Are you a student here?" asked Dippet.

"Not yet," answered Harry.

Dippet huffed. Dumbledore continued to stare. Harry scratched the back of his neck.

Harry wondered where he was. Well, he knew where he was. Rather, he wondered: how he had ended up there, whether this was real, and more so what year it was.

"Where are you from?" asked Dumbledore.

Harry decided to lie. He assumed it would cause less questions and while his old headmaster might have been some help with his situation, he wasn't sure whether he could trust Dippet. So he lied, at least until he could gather more information.

"I've moved around a lot," he said. "My name is Harry uhh Williams. I was homeschooled because my parents liked to travel a lot." The older men shared a glance. "They recently died. They were wizards but it was a muggle car accident."

Harry looked at the room a little. His eyes rested on a copy of the Daily Prophet laying on the end table near the door. He shifted a little closer to it. His eyes strained from the effort of trying to read the tiny printed date. Finally, he picked it up and pretended to skim the page. It was September 1, 1944.

Riddle. Harry thought of his last wish to the Room of Requirement. What had he said? He couldn't remember. He had just been listing off random things when the door appeared. What would happen if he left this room? Would he be in the castle in 1944? Or would he go back to 1998?

Harry decided to experiment. He turned around and opened the door. Rather than revealing the corridor on the seventh floor, he was met with the spiral staircase that always led to the Headmaster's office. He turned around again.

"Well," he said.

"Well?" asked Dippet.

"Is there any way I can enroll? I'm 17 so this would be my last year."

"Why did you open the door?" asked Dumbledore.

Harry shrugged. Dippet sighed. Dumbledore turned to his boss. The men seemed to have a silent conversation before Dumbledore turned back to Harry.

"Excuse us, one moment, young man," said Dippet. Harry nodded and turned to look at the shelf beside him. The men argued in hushed tones. Then Dumbledore went to the back of the Headmaster's office.

"I will allow you to stay. However, I suggest you keep your head down. We have no tolerance for shenanigans at this school. If you disrupt other students' learning I will have no choice but to expel you immediately."

Dumbledore returned with the sorting hat and handed it to Harry. Harry put it on.

 _Well, well. You've seen more than most have seen. Hmmm. You seem too old to be here._

 _Hey, man,_ Harry thought. _I'm just trying to figure this out. Gryffindor is where I belong anyway._

 _How do you know that?_ Asked the hat. _You could easily fit elsewhere._

 _No,_ thought Harry.

 _Very well then._

Harry thought the hat would've put up more of a fight. It didn't. "Gryffindor," it said without its usual bellow.

Dippet conjured up a schedule. "Try your hand at these classes," he said. "After the first week of class we should know whether they're a good fit for you. We will adjust accordingly."

Dumbledore said, "Here are some robes, they will be your uniform. You can order books for your classes when we get your schedule set. Now, follow me. I will lead you to your new accommodations."

Harry followed Dumbledore down the staircase and past the gargoyle.

"Why did your parents travel?" asked the older man.

"They were uhh experimenters," said Harry. "They liked to try to invent things and the best way to do that was be exposed to all different environments."

"I see," said Dumbledore. "Did they succeed at all?"

Harry shrugged. "Not so much, usually had to work odd jobs to keep the bills paid."

"Hmm," said Dumbledore and began to hum a little tune as they walked.

Harry was astonished at how homey the castle felt. He hadn't received this comforting feeling from Hogwarts since before Dumbledore's death in his sixth year. The portraits were the same. The suits of armor were the same. Most importantly, the castle smelled the way it was supposed to.

Harry couldn't help the smile that washed upon his face when they arrived in front of the Fat Lady. She was already asleep and clearly annoyed when Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly.

"Password?" she asked without opening an eye.

"Jarvey," answered the professor. The door swung open. "Here we are, Mr. Williams. This is the common room. Up those stairs you will find your dormitory on the seventh floor. I believe the room should already have adjusted to fit you. Ahh, look. Here is one of your housemates. Mr. Longbottom, come and help Harry get settled. He is a new student here. I trust you will help him feel at home?"

The young man was sitting in Harry's favorite armchair by the fire. He had turned to look at the two men when they entered and stood at Dumbledore's request. He gracefully crossed the room and shook Harry's hand.

"Algernon Longbottom. Most people call me Algie," he said. Harry searched his brain to recall this young man's relation to Neville. He thought he remembered Neville once mentioning a great-uncle Algie. While Neville was round-faced, blonde and buck-toothed, Algie was lean, dark-haired and had perfectly straight teeth. However, he did share Neville's abnormally large ears.

"Harry P-Williams," Harry said. Algie smiled. Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow at Harry's stutter.

"Well," said Dumbledore. "It is getting late. I suggest you two head to bed so that you may be refreshed for classes in the morning."

"Of course, Professor," said Algie. The older man smiled before leaving the room. Algie turned to Harry. "So what's your story?"

Harry blinked a couple times. "Uhh, I was homeschooled and then my parents died in a potions accident," he lied.

Algie looked embarrassed that he asked. "Oh, uh. I'm sorry," he said. Harry felt awkward for embarrassing him. "Shall we go up?" asked Algie. Harry nodded.

"We were all about to go to bed when the room suddenly shifted and another bed and chest appeared," said Algie as the two young men climbed the stairs. "I figured I'd go down and wait for whoever it was that would be joining us."

Algie held the door open and whispered, "Looks like they got tired of waiting. That bed is yours. We can go down for breakfast together in the morning. Welcome to Hogwarts."

Harry smiled. He walked to the bed, took off his shoes, and laid down. Harry was oddly happy about his predicament. For once, no one knew who he was. For once, he would be a normal teenager. For once, he could enjoy school without an evil wizard hunting him down.

On the other hand, he was also without his friends, his girlfriend. It was lucky that he still carried the invisibility cloak in his moleskin bag. It was lucky that Ginny had joined the Holyhead Harpies this summer after a walk-on try out, otherwise Harry would've given her the Marauder's Map for her seventh year. The map was in his bag too.

Harry drew the curtains around his bed. He reached in and pulled out the spare change of clothes he always carried. A habit from being on the run for a year. He put his pajamas on and then pulled out the map.

He cast a quick _muffliato_. He lit his wand and tapped the map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said. The ink spread across the page. He looked in the Slytherin common room. He was right.

Tom Riddle was there. Maybe Harry had a chance to save the people he loved after all.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with the Harry Potter universe._

Chapter 3

Harry woke the next morning feeling well-rested. He stayed in bed with his eyes closed. He thought that if he opened them he may not be in Hogwarts in anymore. It could've all been an elaborate dream.

"Hey! Wake-up!" said a voice. Harry opened one eye and grumbled. "Harry, get up we've got to get breakfast now if we want to eat at all before class."

Harry was relieved to hear those words. He rolled over, put his glasses on, and sat up. Algernon was staring at him. "I'll be waiting for you in the common room. Be quick," Algie said.

Harry got ready for his first day of his seventh year of Hogwarts.

When Harry arrived downstairs, he saw Algie talking to a beautiful blonde girl. Algie was smiling and leaning against the back of the sofa. Harry noticed that he seemed to have no problem charming the witch.

"Ah, there you are! This is Beatrice Alixan. Her brother is one of our dorm-mates," said Algie. The girl smiled. She had a slight blush on her cheeks and smattering of freckles across her nose. She tossed her hair and held out her hand to Harry. He shook it.

"Harry Williams," Harry said. "It's nice to meet you." Beatrice's smile grew.

"The pleasure is mine," she said.

"Well, shall we go down?" asked Algie. "I'm half-way starved to death." The girl giggled. Harry thought it was rather annoying.

The three made their way down to the Great Hall. Algie and Beatrice chatted and flirted the whole way. Harry was glad that they weren't paying any attention to him. It gave him time to enjoy his surroundings.

Harry followed them to the Gryffindor table. He made sure to sit on the side that gave him a good view of the Slytherins. "Oh! Algie, you flirt!" said Beatrice, laughing. A tall boy with the same honey blonde hair that she had pushed his way between the her and Algie.

"I won't have any of this nonsense," said the boy. He looked at Harry from across the table. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met. I'm Asher Alixan."

Harry shook Asher's hand. "Harry Williams," he said. Harry turned to look at the stranger that had down on his left during the introductions.

"Gerald Harborne," he said. He had shiny bald head. "The annoying prick on your right is Stephen Alphin."

"Hey! Watch your mouth, we have a lady here," said Stephen. "And never mind him, Harry. He's the annoying one."

"Where's Xavier?" asked Algie.

Stephen shrugged. "I imagine he's with Clarissa in a broom closet somewhere."

"Or sleeping," suggested Gerald.

"Or smoking," offered Asher. "Here comes Dumbledore." Dumbledore was making his way through the table handing everyone their schedules. He reached the group and looked immediately at Harry.

"Ah, Mr. Williams. I see you're making friends already," he said.

"Oh, yeah," said Harry.

"Well, here are your schedules everyone. I imagine at least one of you may show Mr. Williams the way to his classes," Professor Dumbledore said. Harry's housemates nodded.

No one said a word until the professor was a safe distance away. Then, all five of Harry's companions let out a breath at the same time. It was Asher who explained. "Any time he talks to us we hold our breaths until he leaves. Whoever has to talk to him or breaths first owes us each a galleon."

"Let me give you some advice," began Gerald. "Be very careful what you say around him. He doesn't agree with Dippet's choice of punishments but he will give out unpleasant detentions."

Beatrice shushed them all. Then, she got up and walked a couple people down to talk to another girl. They were staring at the Ravenclaw table. Harry followed their gaze and a pit formed in his stomach. Every second he spent looking, was another second that he had to fight the urge to start firing off curses at the man.

"Aw man, it's just Riddle," said Asher. "Thought maybe someone was pregnant or something. Now that would've been interesting."

Harry couldn't stop staring at the dark haired man at the Ravenclaw table. Tom Riddle was talking to a girl and she was laughing whole-heartedly. He smiled every time she threw her head back to laugh. It looked like he was trying not to laugh either. Harry thought that the girl was terribly unlucky to have caught Riddle's attention.

Riddle looked across the room and caught Harry staring at him. His smiled faded into a look of disinterest. The girl noticed. She followed his gaze but couldn't locate what Tom was staring at. Finally, Tom turned his attention back to the girl. Gerald nudged Harry. Harry turned to him.

"Hey quit staring. Its rude and I'd rather not hear a lecture from Mr. Perfect, OK?" said Gerald.

"Who's the girl?" was all Harry said in response.

"That's Francine Hughes. The man next to her is her boyfriend Tom Riddle. He's Head Boy and has all the professors wrapped around his pinky," Gerald said.

Harry choked on the bite of toast he taken. Tom Riddle had a girlfriend? He is attractive, Harry thought. But wasn't Riddle supposed to have not had any real friends?

"How long have they been together?" asked Harry.

"Three years," answered Beatrice who had reappeared. "And don't get any ideas about her. They're madly in love and have a perfect relationship. Not even Betty tries to get between them."

"I'm guessing Betty typically gets between people?" asked Harry.

"You betcha," replied Beatrice.

It didn't make any sense to Harry. How could Tom Riddle be in such a long relationship but not have the capacity to love? Well, he reasoned. Riddle did keep all his followers around for generations. Maybe she had something he wanted. Maybe he was just that good of an actor.

Complacent with his conclusion, Harry loaded his plate with a second serving.

"You better eat fast," said Algie. "I don't know about you, but I have class in 15 minutes." Harry pulled out his schedule and looked at it for the first time.

"I have Defense in 15 minutes. Is that where you're going?" Algie shook his head.

"I am, though," said Stephen. "I'll show you the way."

Stephen bombarded Harry with questions about his childhood, his old life, and his impressions of Howarts. Harry had to lie about most of it, but some of the lies were based in truth. Stephen didn't even stop when they took their seats in the class. "I swear to Merlin, if Xavier doesn't show up I will beat him," said Stephen.

"Does he usually do this?" asked Harry. Stephen gave Harry a look of pure annoyance as he nodded.

"He's stupid for missing this much class," said Stephen. "Don't get me wrong, the man is smart. But skipping class like this is idiotic. He's already on probation from last year. He probably

could be in the advanced classes too but instead he's with us in remedial classes."

"Wait, remedial?" asked Harry. Stephen was confused.

"Yeah, you didn't know that?" Stephen asked. Harry shook his head. "I'm not great with Defense. Charms is more my thing."

Harry replied, "Defense is definitely my thing."

"Well, you should tell Professor…Bellark," Stephen said, referring to his schedule for the name of the professor.

"Hey, has it started yet?" asked a skinny boy, taking the empty seat next to Stephen. "Hey, Stephen, who's this?"

"This is Harry Williams. He's going to be sharing our dormitory. Harry, this is Xavier Prewett."

Harry looked for any trace of Molly Weasley in the boy. Aside from freckles and brown eyes, the similarities stopped. Harry noticed that Xavier was rather fidgety.

Xavier shook his hand but didn't say anything. The professor emerged from her office and introduced herself as Professor Bellark. She said she was a former auror and that she expected the upmost respect from the class. Then she said, "Now that that is out of the way. Let us begin. Can anyone tell me anything about Dementors?"

Only one girl raised a hand. "State your name and answer please," said Professor Bellark.

"Francine Hughes. Dementors guard Azkaban. They feed off of happiness and can perform the Dementor's Kiss which removes the soul of a person." Harry hadn't even noticed that Tom Riddle's girlfriend was in the class with him.

"Very good," said Bellark. "Five points to Ravenclaw. Now, out of curiosity, has anyone seen a Dementor in person before?" Harry raised a hand, forgetting that it was probably uncommon for the average person to have come across one. "Really?" asked the professor. "Care to tell us the story?"

"Oh, uh. I'd really rather not think about it, if that's OK, Professor," said Harry. He could tell that she was disappointed.

"Ah, well. That's alright, I suppose," she said. Harry got the feeling that she didn't believe he had ever seen one.

"I can conjure a patronus and show you that though," he said. She lifted an eyebrow and waved him on. He summoned his stag. The class gasped.

"Very impressive, Mr. Williams. I get the impression that you should perhaps be in an advanced class. Headmaster Dippet did tell me to keep an eye out on you," said Professor Bellark. "But for now I shall continue to teach class. Thank you for the demonstration." She then dove into a detailed lecture about Dementors and Azkaban. Harry surmised that the point of the lecture was to warn students away from crime.

Harry zoned out of the lecture and turned his mind to his predicament. He reminded himself that he wasn't here for an education or friends. He was here for Tom Riddle. Harry debated about killing Tom but he ruled it out. If he were to kill Tom Riddle. He would surely be caught. Then, what? He would be thrown into Azkaban as a murderer. No, instead he needed a plan. A plan to expose him as evil so that he could be stopped before anyone died.

The class ended and Harry felt exceedingly unimpressed by the quality of education he received. Stephen and Xavier were chatting about the latter's whereabouts that morning. Harry didn't care too much but he pretended to be listening. Laughing when the other boys laughed and nodding when it seemed right.

Someone tapped Harry's shoulder lightly. He turned and found himself having to look down at the person who tapped him.

"Harry, right? I'm Francine," she said. "That patronus you conjured was very impressive. I wish I could do something like that. But they won't let me take any of the advanced classes." Stephen and Xavier fell silent to listen to Harry's conversation.

"Why not?" asked Harry. She shrugged.

"My O.W.L. score was great but for some reason when I applied for the class I was told that there wasn't enough room," Francine said, skeptically.

"Well, I could teach you sometime. If you'd like," Harry offered. She immediately smiled and he couldn't help but smile back. "Where are you headed right now?" he asked.

"Potions," she replied.

"Me too. Want to walk together?" he asked. She agreed and the pair walked together a little way behind Harry's dorm mates. Harry and Francine discussed trivial things, like their favorite candies. But her sincerity made him question what she was doing with someone as evil as Tom Riddle.

Francine was halfway through a word when a man slipped his arm around her waist and said, "Hello, love."

Harry hadn't even noticed him arrive. Neither did she it seemed because at his touch she jumped. Then, she laughed. "Tom, you scared me!" she said. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Tom, this is my new friend Harry. Harry, this is my boyfriend Tom." Riddle offered him a hand. Harry shook hands with his enemy.

Riddle's face was friendly but his eyes were analytical. Harry met his stare with his own look. Harry hoped it came off as confident. Then, Riddle smiled. Harry had heard of Riddle's unbelievable charms but seeing it in person was another thing. He almost believed that it was a genuine smile.

Tom Riddle let go of Harry's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Harry."

 **A/N: I meant to get this out yesterday but I had a terrible headache. Thanks to all my readers! Please review, favorite, and follow!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with the Harry Potter universe._

Chapter 4

Tom Riddle pulled Francine closer to him. His friendly smile stayed in place. Francine beamed at her boyfriend.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you be in class?" asked the girl.

"Professor Caltor let us out early," he said. "So, I decided to come see my girl." She blushed.

"Harry, you go ahead. I'll catch up to you, OK?" She said.

Harry nodded. He was transfixed by the scene in front of him. How did they seem so normal?

He turned, slowly. His eyes were the last thing to follow. He walked slowly. He started to question reality again.

This place couldn't be real. If so, future Tom would've recognized him, right? Future Dumbledore and Slughorn too.

But they hadn't, so this was fake. Unless, they all had pretended. Or if they forgot. After all, 50 years _would_ pass before they would lay eyes on him. In that time, both professors would've taught hundreds of other students. Harry couldn't possibly expect them to remember a random student they taught 50 years ago. Especially if he kept attention away from himself like he planned.

Satisfied with his conclusion, Harry sped up.

The room was large, and looked much like it did in his first year of Hogwarts. It had large work tables rather than small ones, and was rectangular rather than circular. He spotted Xavier and Stephen at a table near the middle. Harry went over and sat in the seat that they had saved for him.

"Hey, seems like Francine took a liking to you," said Stephen. Xavier was bouncing in his seat. Harry shrugged.

"She's cool," he replied. Xavier and Stephen looked at each other.

"Her boyfriend isn't someone you want to mess with, buddy," said Xavier. Stephen nodded.

Harry said, "I'm not interested in her like that. But, uh, why not?" He hoped that maybe these boys would tell him something he could use against Tom. He liked Francine. She was definitely too nice to be with a guy like Riddle. He had already decided to not kill Tom. And he might not be able to protect those in future from his wraith, but he could protect those in the present. Or the past. Harry shook his head. This time thing was confusing.

"Well, he's head boy. And he has about 10 cronies who follow him around everywhere," said Stephen.

"Plus he got that one kid expelled," said Xavier.

"And he always seems to know everyone's secrets," Stephen added.

"And he's got practically the whole school under his wings," Xavier said.

"Weird," said Harry, dejectedly. They hadn't given him anything blackmail-worthy.

"I mean, he's a good guy. He's just got a lot of influ-," said Stephen. He stopped talking when Xavier nudged him.

"Is this seat taken?" asked Francine. All three boys shook their heads. She sat. "Oh, good. I got here just in time." Harry noticed the blush on her cheeks was still present. Her lipstick was not.

Professor Slughorn entered. He looked exactly as he had in the memory Harry had seen.

Slughorn lectured the class on the proper use of the Pepperup Potion, and then set the class to task. Harry walked up to him. "Excuse me, sir," he said. "But I am new so I don't have any of the tools that I need."

"Ah! Yes! I heard of you. You can find the things you need in the cabinet over there," said the professor.

Harry smiled awkwardly. He had a sense of déjà vu as he searched the cabinet for an old textbook and supplies.

He sat down and saw that Francine was farther along than his friends. Xavier didn't appear to be trying all too hard. His movements were slow. But not a deliberate slow. It was more of a lazy slow.

Stephen, on the other hand, was trying all too hard. The way he was frantically stirring reminded Harry of Draco when they had that contest for the Felix Felicis

Francine was calm, though. And her hair was falling out of its bun. Each strand that fell was frizzing from the steam. Her concentrated expression and messy hair reminded him of Hermione. The thought of his best friend sent a pang of longing through his chest. Then he thought of Ron. He hoped that they weren't missing him. He hoped that in his year, he had not been gone long. He hoped that to them, he was gone for a minute.

He thought of their adventures with the time turner. If this time travel, assuming it was real, was anything like that, would he have to live out the next 50 years? If he did, it would be like he never left, right? He wasn't sure he could stand to live another 50 years before returning to normal.

Class ended without anything spectacular happening. Harry's potion was "average" said Slughorn. Francine's: "amazing!" and Stephen's: "good effort". Xavier was told that it didn't even look like he had tried.

The foursome walked out of class together. Stephen and Xavier were teasing each other's potion-making abilities. Francine was laughing at their insults. Occasionally throwing in her own jibe.

All four had a break for lunch, so they went to the Great Hall.

They were all nothing but laughs and smiles as they ate. Harry was happier than he had been in a long time.

"So, Francine," Stephen said. "What's your favorite muggle invention?"

She laughed. She replied, "The telephone."

"What's that?" asked Xavier.

"It's like when you use floo powder to talk to someone except you don't see their face and you don't have to stick your head in a fireplace," she replied.

"Wait," Harry said. "Are you muggleborn?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, I am," she said defiantly. Harry got the sense that it was a sore subject.

"Sorry, I just didn't know that. One of my best friends from home is one too. She's the brightest witch I've ever met," he said out loud. On the inside, however, he said, "TOM RIDDLE IS DATING A MUGGLEBORN?!" he was shocked. Beyond shocked. This revelation defied all expectations.

At this point, hadn't Riddle already killed at least three muggles? Didn't he already know the truth surrounding his birth? Harry couldn't believe it. This HAD to be some sort of alternate universe. There was no other explanation.

Francine smiled and patted his arm. "It's alright, Harry. What's her name?"

"Hermione," he answered distracted.

"Hey that's my sister's name!" said Xavier. "But she's 10 so I assume they're not the same person."

"You have a little sister?" asked Francine. Xavier nodded. "Me too!" she said. "Mine's 14. She doesn't have magic though. It really bums her out."

Xavier said, "Mine does. She should be coming here next year. My brother is a year younger than me and he doesn't. He kind of tries to distance himself from me because of it, I think. My other little sister has it too. She's 7."

"You're half, right?" she asked him. He nodded.

"My mom is a witch, dad is not," he said. She turned to Harry.

"What about you?" she asked him.

"Oh, well. Both my parents had magic, but my mom was muggleborn," he said.

From the concerned look in her eyes, it appeared that she was about to comment on his use of the past tense. But then she stood up. Waved her arms. And yelled across the room, "Irene!"

All four boys looked at who she was shouting to. A Ravenclaw girl of average height walked over. She had short crazy, curly hair and glasses. She was holding a book. The two girls hugged.

"Gentlemen, this is my best friend," Francine said. "Irene, you know these two already, but this is Harry Williams. He's new."

The girl smiled with her mouth closed and sat down. "How was class?" asked Francine.

"Good," replied Irene. Harry got the feeling she was uncomfortable around strangers. She pulled an envelope from her bag. "It's from Slughorn," she said as she handed it to Harry. He opened it and groaned.

"You got invited to the Slug Club?" asked Stephen. Harry nodded.

"It must've been that patronus you casted," said Francine. "I'm in it too. They're so much fun! You have to join! You can meet up with me and Tom at the next meeting." Harry blinked.

"You know, Algie is in it too. I'm sure he'll be happy to finally have a friend to go with," said Xavier. "Wait." He looked at his watch. "Shit, I have to go. See you later." He jumped up.

Irene watched him go. "Where's he going?" she asked.

"Probably to snog Jaqueline," said Stephen.

"Wait, are they dating?" asked Francine.

"I swear, all you birds are the same. Gossip gossip gossip," he replied. Francine raised her eyebrows. She stood, turned, gestured for her friend, and left without another word. "Girls," Stephen said shaking his head.

Harry reread his invitation. He figured he should go. It could be a good opportunity to get to know Riddle a little more. Maybe if he got on his good side he could dig up some more dirt.

Harry stood. "Ready for Transfiguration?" he asked. Stephen nodded and the two friends walked down the halls of Hogwarts.

 **A/N: So sorry for being so off track. My cat had a litter of (7) kittens and so I've been busy taking care of them/working/going on mini vacations. In fact, I wrote this with a kitten on my arm. Hopefully, I will find more motivation to write. I'm just a little stuck on how fast I want the story to move. Anyway as always thank you for reading! Please favorite, review, and follow! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with the Harry Potter universe._

Chapter 5

Harry Potter followed Algernon Longbottom through the corridors of Hogwarts. "No offense, mate, but I much rather would've preferred to have Beatrice accompanying me," said the latter.

Harry shrugged. He said, "I, too, would rather be accompanied by a beautiful girl."

"Oh, yeah?" asked Algie. He nudged Harry. "Like perhaps a beautiful Ravenclaw?" Harry rolled his eyes.

It'd been two weeks since he'd met his nemesis's girlfriend. And two weeks of intense teasing had followed. It seemed that all his new friends thought that he had feelings for Francine Hughes. He didn't. But he couldn't tell them that he was already in love with someone else. Ginny was in a different time period. Perhaps even a different world. How could he explain his commitment to a girl that was so far away to people who couldn't know the truth?

So, after a few days of denying them, he took the comments without rebuttal.

"I'm telling you, you gotta move on. Besides, I hear that Mary Droope has feelings for you. And she's one beautiful bird. I'd kill to have a girl like her giving me attention."

Harry groaned. Mary Droope was beautiful. But she also had a tendency to accidentally-on-purpose run into him. It seemed that ever since his arrival, Miss Droope was constantly popping up in front of him. These run ins had caused Harry to be late to class not once, not twice, but four times. And he wasn't sure how to get her to stop. He was, after-all, trying _not_ to be memorable.

"What do you mean you'd 'kill to have a girl like her' giving you attention?" asked Harry. "Beatrice is the prettiest girl in school and she loves you as much as anyone."

"Beatrice is alright," Algie said. Harry got the feeling that Algie was intentionally understating his feelings. "But things would never work out between us. I mean, her brother is my best friend. And Asher would never let things between us progress past simple flirting."

Harry had never related more to his friend. He felt like offering him examples from his own experience but he couldn't figure out an explanation as to why he'd never brought it up before. Besides, as he started to debate a cover story the pair arrived at the Slug Club gathering. By then, it was too late to say anything. Algie went from hopeless romantic to cool guy in the second it took to walk through the door.

Slughorn's office was nicely decorated and full of people. Harry was immediately overwhelmed. "I'm going to get some pumpkin juice," he muttered to Algie who was already scoping out the prospects.

Harry grabbed a goblet and chugged the juice. He grabbed another. He wondered why he was so thirsty. He had butterflies in his stomach. Was Tom Riddle here? Would Francine say hi to him? Did Tom know that Harry and Francine had been spending lots of time together? Did he know that Harry had been teaching Francine everything he knew about dueling?

He didn't see them in the crowd. But he heard Slughorn's laugh. The one the old man reserved for his favorite student. Harry's eyes followed the noise and he found them. He was speechless. Now that he'd spotted them he wasn't sure how he'd missed them before.

Out of the rigidity of their Hogwarts uniforms, they looked like movie stars. Tom Riddle's hair was not perfectly gelled and his attire was a relaxed formal. He wore blue, it was almost black but even the hint of color was enough to make Harry question the identity of the man wearing the robes. And she, she may have been even more beautiful than he was. She wore grey dress robes embroidered with the same blue her boyfriend wore. And for the first time Harry noticed that her hair was more blonde than it was brown.

Francine was laughing at something Tom said. She tossed her head back like she always did. When she opened her eyes she spotted Harry. Immediately, she pulled Tom with her to greet him. She hugged Harry. He thought she smelled like flowers.

She beamed at him. Tom held out his hand like a true gentleman. Harry shook it. The more he and Tom touched, the easier it was for Harry to do.

"So," Tom started. "I hear that you and Francine have been practicing Defense Against the Dark Arts." Harry nodded. Tom continued, "I noticed that you've been switched to my Defense class, but you don't seem to participate much. Maybe you and I should be partners for the next assignment. I'd like to see what you're made of."

Harry tried to talk but found his voice too quiet. He cleared his throat. "I don't know about that. My friend and I like to do the assignments together," he said.

Tom smiled. "Oh, I'm sure Gerald won't mind. Let's ask him shall we." Tom never broke eye contact with Harry as he stuck his arm out and grabbed a man who was passing by. Harry hadn't realized that Gerald was attending the get-together. "You wouldn't mind switching Defense partners with me on Monday, would you, Harborne?" asked Riddle.

Gerald Harborne looked at Harry. He must not have been able to read Harry's eyes because he agreed. "'Course not. You two are probably better matched anyway," Gerald said. The girl on his arm, Lois Parkes, tugged on him. "Excuse me, gents." He tipped his hat and followed the redhead.

"There, its settled," said Tom. Harry was uneasy. Francine continued to smile. Professor Dumbledore placed a hand on Tom's shoulder. Tom's smile wavered. Harry felt relief when the older man asked to speak with him. Harry followed Dumbledore into a corner of the room behind some curtains. He was reminded of his run-in with another professor nearly 50 years in the future.

"How are you finding your classes?" asked Dumbledore. Harry said they were good. Dumbledore asked for more detail. Harry replied that he was learning a lot. Dumbledore stared at him. Harry added that the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor seemed competent. Dumbledore said, "Why would you expect her not to be?" Harry shrugged.

Dumbledore said, "I see that you've made friends well enough. I hope that you have a strong choice in character and enough intuition to know whom to trust and whom to be wary of."

Harry said, "If you think I'd trust Riddle with even a glass of water, you're sorely mistaken." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"I think you will do just fine," the bearded man said. He patted Harry on the shoulder once more. Then, he left.

When Harry emerged from behind the curtains, he could not find Tom Riddle. He saw Francine talking to her friend, Irene, however. Harry approached the girls. "Where'd your boyfriend go?" he asked. The girls shared a look. Harry wondered what it meant.

"He left with his friends. They should be back soon. Why?" Harry shook his head. And left the room without another word. He found the nearest broom closet. And reached into his moleskin pouch. He was thankful that he'd gotten in the habit of taking it everywhere he went. He pulled out two things. The first was a piece of parchment. The second was a piece of cloth.

He tapped the parchment with his wand and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He located Tom Riddle and his cronies. They were walking with a name that Harry didn't recognize. They weren't too far away either. Harry threw on his invisibility cloak, and stepped out of the closet.

He quickly caught up to Riddle, they had entered a classroom that Harry knew no-one ever entered. He pressed his ear to the door but could not hear a thing. Riddle must have cast a silencing charm on the room. He had to get in there somehow, he decided. So he knocked.

Harry grabbed on tight to the doorknob and pulled. He could feel someone trying to open the door from the other side. He held on for a few more seconds and then let go. The door swung wide open and he slipped in. Orion Black had been the one to open it and the sudden release of the door had caused him to fall on his butt. The other Slytherin boys snickered and turned back to the center of the room but Tom had his wand out and was searching the room with his eyes.

Riddle looked right at Harry and Harry froze. His heart rate spiked. Then Tom looked back at the boy in the center. Harry quietly moved to a spot that he'd have a better view from. A fourth year Hufflepuff boy was kneeling in the center of the room. He had a bloody nose.

"Shall we continue with your punishment, then?" asked Tom. The boy shook his head vigorously.

"I swear, Mr. Riddle, I didn't do nothing!"

"You _did_ do something. You showed an appalling level of disrespect. And for that, you deserve to be punished," replied Tom. He pointed his wand at the boy. The kid jerked onto the floor crying and screaming. Harry felt sick to his stomach, but just as he was about to throw himself onto the scene, Tom stopped.

Riddle leaned down to the boy. All Harry could hear were the words "murder" and "promise", but it was enough to send chills down his spine.

The Slytherins left the room. The Hufflepuff laid on the floor shivering. Harry cast a sleeping spell on him. He slipped out of the room when he knew the coast was clear.

He hadn't realized how little he had been breathing in there. His heart felt like it was about to explode. He wanted nothing more than to run after Riddle and end him. But he knew he couldn't do that. He gathered himself and then went to the Hospital Wing. He told the healer that he found a boy with a bloodied face asleep in a classroom. The healer had him describe exactly where the classroom was and then ordered him back to Gryffindor Tower.

Harry followed the healer's instructions. He felt numb. His idea of a new, shiny, happy Hogwarts had been shattered. It was silly, because he knew that evil lurked the hallways. But for once, he was not involved. For once, he was not a witness. But now he knew. He knew with absolute certainty that this Hogwarts had the same villain that his other one had. Most of all, he knew that Francine Hughes did _not_ deserve to be with a monster.


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with the Harry Potter universe._

Chapter 6

Harry tried to tune out the chatter before it consumed him. Quidditch try-outs were this week. It took every ounce of his restraint to not join in the excitement. It took every ounce of his restraint to not join the team.

Gerald was laughing heartily next to him. Asher was teasing Stephen. Stephen was bragging about his various saves as the Gryffindor keeper. Xavier pointed out that he allowed 100 goals in two games the previous year.

Stephen replied, "Hey! You know that our team was a pile of goblin dung! And besides, Hufflepuff had the greatest team of chasers the school had ever seen. This year though, the cup is ripe for the plucking."

"Taking," corrected Algie. "The saying is ripe for the taking."

"But it's talking about fruit," said Stephen. "Why wouldn't it be plucking?"

Algie stared at Stephen for a long time. "Anyway, Harry, you should try out."

Harry said, "I've already told you, I'm not coordinated enough. And I don't even like Quidditch. Besides, I don't hear you bothering Xavier about it."

"That's because Xavier is on probation for missing so many classes," replied Asher, punching his friend on the shoulder.

"Why _do_ you miss so many classes?" asked Stephen.

Xavier just shrugged while Gerald said, "Why do you care so much?" It was very faint, but Harry could've sworn that Stephen blushed. Stephen said something about just being a concerned friend. Harry stood. They hardly gave him a second thought. They were used to him abruptly leaving.

Harry walked in solitude. After what he saw two weeks ago, Harry decided that Francine needed him. He wasn't sure just how evil Tom Riddle was until he saw the man in action. Now that he had, he knew that there was a reason he was here. Even if he couldn't save the lives of those in the future, he could save her.

Harry arrived at his Defense Against the Dark Arts class early. He found comfort in the empty room. It might have had something to do with the fact that it was indeed the same classroom that his previous Defense classes were held.

Harry wasn't sure if Tom Riddle was always such a show-off in his classes or if it was just because Harry happened to be in it with him. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he swore his nemesis would look at him every time Tom was praised by the professor. For some reason, it irked Harry more than it should have.

As the classroom filled, Harry hoped that someone, Gerald preferably, would take the empty seat next to him before Riddle could. It seemed, however, as if everyone else knew something he didn't. It seemed as if they all knew to avoid that seat. Harry believed that his classmates knew that Riddle had claimed it, and that one should never take something that Riddle claimed.

Tom took his usual seat next to Harry. Riddle's gaggle of followers sat at desks either in front or behind them. It was a subtle way of telling Harry that he had no escape. Not that Riddle had ever done anything threatening to Harry. In fact, the bespectacled boy was rather surprised just how nice Tom Riddle was to him.

"Doing well?" the Head Boy asked Harry. Harry nodded. "Good to hear. So, I've been thinking, watching, listening. You know how it is. Anyway, I've decided that you and I would make great friends. In fact, I think it would be a shame for you to not be friends with me. What do you say?" Tom held out his hand.

Harry looked at it. All he could think was, "this is the hand that tortured that boy."

What he wanted to say was, "Do me a favor and jump off the top of the astronomy tower."

What he really said was, "I have friends."

Tom laughed a cold, mirthless laugh. He said, "Sure, you have that group of rambunctious nobodies. I can give you a group of the most talented and well-behaved people you will ever meet."

Harry looked into Riddle's unbelievably blue eyes and said, "Sorry, I just don't want to."

Riddle's smile faded and his face turned to stone. It only lasted a second. He clapped Harry on the shoulder like they were best buds and said, "Of course! It's no problem really." Harry wondered if anyone ever believed that laugh was real.

Harry wondered if he had just put his new friends in danger. He wondered if he should've accepted the invitation. Being friends with Francine's boyfriend may have made it easier for him to protect her. But at what cost? Harry decided saying no to a murderer was for the best. He would have to protect from afar.

Their professor had the class break into pairs and Harry wondered what mundane spell she would teach them that day. Whether it was due to his life in a war or due to his switch in time periods, he found that even the advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts class was a piece of cake. He thought the idea of Tom always showing off these textbook spells was almost laughable considering the spells Tom would eventually master.

"Today, we will be learning a particularly helpful shield spell: _Protego_ ," said Professor Bellark. Harry snorted, realizing his mistake, he quickly started coughing. Which led to Harry choking on his own air.

A hand pounded his back until he regained his breathing. It wasn't until the oxygen returned to his brain that he realized it was Riddle who'd pounded him.

"You alright?" the Head Boy asked.

Harry nodded and muttered a "thanks."

The pairs spread out and started to cast jinxes and hexes at each other. "Remember class, only minor attacks, this is just practice," said Bellark.

Harry and Tom watched the rest of the class struggle with the spell. Typically, Harry would've let Tom win their duel so as to avoid attention. But from Tom's proposal, Harry could tell that his plan wasn't working. So he went for it.

The very first spell Tom sent was a well-cast jelly-legs jinx. Harry deflected it easily. Tom narrowed his eyes and Harry took on a defensive stance. Tom sent spells after him at an increasingly rapid rate.

Eventually, Harry aimed a deflected spell back at Tom. It didn't hit his foe but it forced him to reposition his footing. Harry took the opportunity to start sending his own arsenal of jinxes towards Tom. The other boy deflected them as easily as Harry had done but the inherent dueling talent of both had attracted the attention of the class. No one had ever seen anyone seemingly match Tom's skill.

Tom had taken on a murdery look in his eyes during their duel and it wasn't until Bellark blasted a shield between their exchange did it subside. Bellark ended class with a word about everyone learning a thing or two from Riddle and Williams.

Harry exited with Gerald who was having some sort of mental breakdown about Harry's display. Riddle, who was ahead of Harry, turned mid-laugh to look at his opponent.

The stare pierced Harry's soul.

He spent the rest of the day on edge. He hardly slept. The only thing that got him out of bed the next morning was the anticipation of going to Hogsmeade.

"Oh, man. Hogsmeade is the greatest!" said Algie. "You're going to love it, Harry." The whole gang was making their way to the town. Even Xavier was walking with the group. Though, because he was puffing at a muggle cigarette as they walked, Asher made him walk five feet behind them.

"Hey, walk slower!" said Xavier periodically. No one listened.

The group's first stop was Honeydukes. After being jostled and bumped for the umpteenth time, Harry decided to step outside to wait for his friends. Francine's face was the first thing he saw. He made a move to cross the street to greet her, but noticed who was accompanying her. He saw that the couple appeared to be in some sort of argument.

Ever nosey, Harry found a secluded spot to throw his invisibility cloak on. He made his way towards the couple.

"Really, Tom. I don't see what the problem is!" Francine said.

"Look, I said no. That's my final answer," her boyfriend replied. He grabbed her hand and started to pull her down the street.

"Any other guy would have no problem with it," she said. Riddle whipped around so fast Harry was surprised he didn't get whiplash.

"I'm not like other guys," said Riddle. To Harry, the statement sounded like a threat.

"Fine," said Francine. "I'll drop it for now, but we're not done discussing this." Tom rolled his eyes. They started to walk side by side, hand in hand. "You know, Harry said something interesting the other day. He said-" Riddle threw his hands up.

"Harry this, Harry that. If you love Williams so much why don't you go bother him instead." Harry was momentarily confused. It'd been a while since he'd adopted the name, but he still occasionally forgot that his new last name was Williams.

Francine gave Tom a look. Harry liked to call it "the girlfriend look". It was the look Ginny gave him anytime he pushed the boundaries of how sassy he could be to her. It was the look Hermione gave Ron anytime he did something without thinking it through.

"Fine," she said. "Maybe I will." Without waiting to see his reaction, she took off in the opposite direction. Harry was tempted to continue to follow Riddle. Some inhibition told him that Riddle had gotten her to leave on purpose. But his need to calm down his friend outweighed his instincts. So, he followed Francine. He removed the cloak when he knew it was safe. And he ran into her.

"Oh! Harry!" she said when she realized who'd taken her off the warpath. Harry could tell that she was angrier about her little spat than she'd let Tom realize.

"Hey," Harry replied. "You okay?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You look like you're about to cry," he pointed out.

"Tom's an idiot!" she said. He was taken aback by how forward she was about it. She then started rambling about how men never listen to women and they think that women are fragile and can't handle things. Then she started muttering about being ready and thinking Tom was crazy for not being ready. Harry was lost. He could not keep track of anything she said. He told her that.

She flushed. "Well – well it doesn't really matter, does it?"

Harry blinked.

He wasn't sure what to say. But she seemed to not need his words.

"Oh! Irene!" she said. "Thanks for listening to my crazy rant, Harry." Then, she dashed off to meet her best friend, who was chatting with a rather large ginger boy.

"Mate!" Algie found him. "Aye, where'd you go? Never mind. They're all at the Three Broomsticks. Let's go! Best butterbeer you'll ever have, I promise," Algie said.

Harry followed. He looked back at Francine a couple times, knowing there was no way he'd be able to find Tom at this point. Her friends seemed to have done a better job calming her than he could've. She spotted him, smiled and waved. For once she didn't remind him of anyone. He just hoped that when the time came, she would be OK.

 **A/N: So the reason this took so long is I wrote it like two months ago and HATED IT. So I didn't publish it until I felt my writing mojo come back to me so I could rewrite it.**

 **But…Hey guys! Nope, I didn't forget about this. Thanks so much to everyone who has been reading! Especially thanks to you guys who've reviewed and said such nice things :).**

 **Also, I finally figured out EXACTLY how I want this to end and I ran it past my best friend and she loved it so I'm excited. I've also decided to make this story a little bit shorter than I originally planned. I just don't see any reason to extend it more than I have to. So if everything goes according to plan, it should be about 16 chapters long.**

 **School has started and because I'm in journalism school which is DRAINING my creative writing willpower (news is so boring but I've had to switch my writing mode to boring writing). I'll probably end up even lower on writing energy. So sorry for not updating regularly (both on behalf of present me and future me).**

 **Finally, please keep reading and I hope you all enjoy the next ten or so chapters!**


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